Puerto Rico pitcher J.C. Romero celebrates with teammates after defeating the United States 4-3 during the World Baseball Classic at Marlins Park. / Steve Mitchell, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI â?? Center fielder Angel Pagan punched the air one, two, three, four times after catching the final out. Reliever J.C. Romero, who threw the pitch, knelt behind the mound, his arms outstretched as if reaching for the heavens.

This was in fact a heavenly win for Puerto Rico, which advanced to the World Baseball Classic semifinals Friday night with a tense 4-3 victory that eliminated the favored Team USA.

As the loudspeakers at Marlins Park played Marc Anthony's anthem "Preciosa," the winning club jumped on a celebratory dogpile between the mound and second base, the players' unfettered joy similar to that exhibited by teams that win the World Series.

For an island that has seen its baseball pedigree drop precipitously, a commonwealth of 4 million people with longstanding and sometimes uneasy ties with the United States, this had very much the feeling of a World Series victory.

Puerto Rico was an underdog to make it out of the first round, even though it was played on its soil, because its pool also included powerhouses like Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

Not only did the Puerto Ricans advance to the WBC semis for the first time in three attempts, but they got payback for being knocked out in heartbreaking fashion in the 2009 tournament, when the U.S. scored three ninth-inning runs in a 6-5 walkoff win in an elimination game.

"What happened in 2009 left a bitter taste," said Pagan, Puerto Rico's sparkplug with a .391 batting average. "We wanted to make it different this year, instead of getting eliminated, to go through. And not only for that, but to set a positive example for our country."

Puerto Rico had lost 7-1 to the U.S. on Tuesday and pinned its hopes for advancing on Nelson Figueroa, who became the club's de facto ace when Javier Vazquez got injured and both Jonathan Sanchez and Hector Santiago bowed out.

Figueroa, a journeyman right-hander who has gone 20-35 in parts of nine major-league seasons, baffled U.S. hitters over the first six innings, holding them to two hits and no runs with a mixture of breaking balls and well-placed fastballs under 90 mph.

Figueroa, who has pitched in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Taiwan, said he was motivated by the pregame predictions.

"We were supreme underdogs against that USA lineup," said Figueroa, 38. "I sat up watching MLB Network and hearing all the things that I couldn't do and could do, so it was motivation to show them what kind of pitcher I was. â?¦ It was a great exhibition of what could be done without having a plus fastball."

Puerto Rico took a 1-0 lead on Mike Aviles' RBI single in the first, then stretched the margin to 4-0 with a three-run sixth, mostly against reliever Vinnie Pestano. Andy Gonzalez provided the game's biggest hit, a bases-loaded double that drove in two.

Despite fielding a lineup that includes three former MVPs, Team USA went 14 consecutive innings without scoring a run, going back to the first inning of Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Dominican Republic.

The breakthrough finally came in the seventh Friday against 21-year-old reliever Giovanni Soto, who gave up a triple to Joe Mauer and an RBI single to Giancarlo Stanton.

In the eight, Ryan Braun's RBI double and Ben Zobrist's run-scoring walk narrowed the U.S. deficit to 4-3 before Romero left the bases loaded when he got Eric Hosmer to hit into an inning-ending groundout.

Romero then retired the fearsome U.S. lineup 1-2-3 in the ninth for the save.

It was yet another disappointing ending for Team USA, which now has a cumulative record of 10-10 in the three WBCs and has yet to reach the final.

"There's a sense of failure, but we all played hard, we battled hard and we represented the country very well," said Ryan Vogelsong, who took the loss after giving up two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Vogelsong pointed out players who participate in winter ball are a little sharper at this time of year, which somewhat negates the U.S. talent advantage. He also disputed the notion that the WBC is little more than a glorified exhibition.

"These games are intense. They mean a lot," he said. "There's a lot of pride at stake. Being in the postseason and being in here is very similar. It's quite honestly the same."

Pagan, his teammate on the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants, would concur. And much as he prides himself in playing all-out regardless of which uniform he's wearing, Pagan acknowledged the extra responsibility he feels playing for his native land.

Catching that final fly ball, he said, was extra special.

"I think I bent it a little bit. I didn't want to let it go," he said. "When I caught that ball I was thinking of my country, because that's what we're here for."